Out of Time

AvalonReeseFanFics

A/N: So I'm currently in Florida, visiting Harry Potter World and Disney World, as I write this. I'm posting this on my last day here and hoo… this one was a long one. But the good news is, we get to move onto the next episode which is great! Also because it reached 15 pages, I took out the bits and pieces about Addison's time in the convent, figured I'd save that for a bonus chapter. So if you guys are interested in that, please drop me a line. I hope you guys like this one, I worked hard on my vacation to get it to you! Don't forget to review, I love hearing what you guys have to say about my chapters and what you would like to see next! See you guys soon!

Thanks to Guest for being my 110th review!

Thanks to: Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, Blackraven777, kilgarrahisadouche, CheesieBrie, CearaCannon, and Guest

Chapter 21: Out of Revenge

"YOU SENT HER WHERE?!" Arthur thundered. He had been awoken by Morgana shaking him, frantically telling him over and over what had happened. But Arthur's tired mind couldn't comprehend what she was saying. His father couldn't have sent Addison away, he couldn't have, she had been so well behaved as of late, except for that outburst in the main hall with the now new Court Physician.

Unless he found out that the frequent trips out of the castle walls were for her to practice magic. But no, that couldn't be it because Uther would have just killed her.

"Honestly Arthur, I've merely sent her to the convent. There is no need to be so over dramatic," Uther snapped.

Arthur stood there, breathless, a tight pain in his chest which he felt was getting tighter with each passing moment that she got farther away. "Yes, but why? Why have you sent her away?" Arthur asked.

He didn't want to think about how he'd have to go through his day without seeing her. Who would cheer him up or brighten up his days? How was he to go through the boredom of daily drudgery without seeing her smile at least once during the day? How the hell was he going to go without her kisses now that they had gotten more frequent?

"You think I hadn't noticed that you had gotten close? Or that others would not tell me what you two have been doing behind closed doors?" Uther snapped. "You were spied in a bit of a lover's tryst and I had no option but to send her away before you did something stupid."

Arthur stood there, mouth open, his face bright red. He wanted so desperately to deny this accusation, vehemently, but it was true. They had been in very brief trysts that had not gone nearly as far as his body had desired to go. But they had been doing most of their kisses outdoors, very rarely in the castle. The hug, she had shown up in his room and needed a hug, was that what had been spied? Because that was the simplest of interactions. If his father had just asked him, he could have told him that he was simply soothing one of Addison's fears. Uther knew all about Addison and the many fears that required soothing.

"Father, I swear to you, we have not…" Arthur started but Uther raised a hand to silence him.

"I have no doubt that the little harlot threw herself at you. Advances are hard for a strapping young man as yourself to ignore. But it ends now. Addison can come back when she's learnt a modicum of decorum," Uther said and then waved his hand at Arthur indicating that he had been dismissed.

Arthur had no choice but to turn and walk away. He waited until the door to the great hall was shut before aggressively kicking a suit of armour over. Behind him, someone cleared their throat and when he turned Merlin was behind him. For a moment Arthur wondered if he had snuck up on him, but he figured that he had been so upset about this situation that he had missed it.

"Someone saw Addison and I in a perfectly harmless embrace. Someone spied on me and then turned that innocent situation into her exile and I would very much like to know who it was," Arthur snarled. I mentally added: "So I can kill them," and he had a feeling that Merlin could see that in his eyes.

"I know who it was," Merlin whispered.

Arthur took half a step forward. "You tell me who it is now, or I swear to all that you hold dear I will hang you from the highest point of the castle by your ridiculous ears myself!"

The threat was unnecessary. He planned to tell him but instead of showing fear, Merlin held his gaze and replied: "Edwin Muirden, the new court physician."

Gaius was in the process of packing when Merlin threw open the doors to confront him.

"Uther cannot do this to you! You tried to save Morgana!" He cried.

Gaius paused in his packing to reassure the boy. He couldn't tell him all he knew, like how Edwin Muirden, wasn't who he said he was. That he was a sorcerer here looking for revenge on Uther, who needed Gaius out of the way. That Edwin knew about Merlin's powers and threatened to tell Uther about them if Gaius even so much as breathed a word to anyone about what Edwin was or had planned. It would only mean that the boy would charge off to accuse him and then he might get hurt. Either by Edwin's magic or by Uther if Edwin were to go to him first.

Instead he could merely pack his things and try to calm the boy he had grown so very fond of over the last couple of months.

"Uther's not to blame," he said truthfully. It wasn't Uther's fault he was being led blindly, he had just hoped his friend would have been smarter than that.

"Please Gaius! Look, I can speak to Edwin, see if you two and work together? That is… if Arthur doesn't kill him where he stands," Merlin muttered. Honestly he was more than a little desperate for anything that would keep Gaius here with him, even if that meant Arthur breaking every bone in Edwin's body.

"Why would Arthur do such a thing?" Gaius asked. He knew the young Penndragon was fond of him, but not to the point of avenging his forced retiring, hell, Arthur had been the one to summon him to the court.

"Addison was taken away at dawn, sent to a convent, on Edwin's sworn word that Arthur and Addison were in a lover's embrace," Merlin said. "The whole castle's enraged with him and Arthur looked like he wanted to carve into him like a turkey."

Gaius frowned. Now why would Edwin want Addison gone? How had she posed as a threat in anyway? Other than her firm belief that Edwin was not to be trusted, did he think that she could sway Uther in anyway? The girl lived in the dungeons for god sake, what could he have possibly gained from sending her away other than a castle full of enemies?

Gaius shot a small smile at Merlin. "Well, don't you worry about that. Before long Addison will be back, nowhere Uther has ever sent her has managed to keep her long. Now, you mustn't worry about me either. Uther was right – it's time for me to step down."

Gaius went back to packing and Merlin watched him for a minute his mind processing what was happening. "Wait… what are you doing?"

"I cannot stay where there is no longer any use for me," Gaius explained.

"You're not leaving," Merlin said in a hushed tone.

"I believe it's for the best," Gaius said, his own tone soothing.

There was a brief pause and then Merlin squared his shoulders and said: "Then I'm coming with you."

Gaius, half surprised, found a small smile creeping up on his face at Merlin's loyalty. He unfortunately knew what he had to do. "Merlin, you're like a son to me. I never thought I'd get such a blessing late in life," he confessed.

"And you are more than a father to me," Merlin admitted.

Gaius nodded, that's what he had hoped Merlin would say. "Then, as a father, I must tell you to remain here. You must! Camelot is where you belong."

Merlin shook his head, looking dangerously close to tears. "But you belong here too!" he argued.

"Not anymore," Gaius said, trying to mask his sad sigh. He clapped his hands to Merlin's shoulders. "Merlin you must promise me that you will not waste your gifts."

Merlin frowned. "My gifts mean nothing without you here to guide me!" he complained.

"You have a great destiny. If I've had a small part to play in that, then I'm pleased," Gaius assured him.

Merlin needed Gaius here to lead him, but no matter what he said to the old man, Gaius was determined to leave by nightfall. Why, Merlin didn't know, it was the most dangerous time to travel. Merlin didn't want this to happen, Merlin had to stop this from happening. If Arthur didn't take Edwin apart, Merlin might have to himself.

Edwin shut the door to his chambers. He had just convinced the very stupid King Uther to forgo the tonics that Gaius had prescribed him for an old battle injury in his shoulder. The King would die tonight at the hands of Edwin. He would be paralyzed so he would have to listen to the carefully planned and rehearsed explanation of why Edwin was doing this to him and then he would let the magic beetles do their job and render Uther dead by dawn, while the king lay their helpless to stop his own fate.

He had to be ready. He had to make sure the potion he had worked. But when he turned around to go to his work table he found Prince Arthur standing there looking rather cross. He had his arms folded over his chest as he glared at Edwin.

Edwin decided to take the route of diplomacy for he wasn't certain what he could have done to anger the prince. "Your Majesty, are you injured or in need of care?" he asked.

Arthur had been leaning against the work table and he straightened to tower over Edwin who was used to hunching over to seem more unintimidating.

"I have heard you were the one who convinced my father to send away my ward this morning," Arthur said in a low tone, one that Edwin knew to be a dangerous tone for anyone to do. The fact that it was coming from Arthur he knew that he had managed to walk into some very dangerous territory.

Edwin bowed his head. "I am very sorry for that, your majesty. I merely sought to protect you…"

"From my own ward?" Arthur raged, his arms uncrossed and had a hold of Edwin before Edwin could even muster a magical incantation that might have tripped the man up. It took all of his power not to use his magic to save him as Arthur threw him up against a wall.

"I don't care what you saw, or what you thought you were doing, so I am going to make myself clear just once and I will leave you to decide your own fate," Arthur hissed into Edwin's face, bits of spittle flying out in all directions spraying Edwin all over. "You have until tomorrow morning to convince my father that Addison should be back in the castle or I will make sure that the rest of you matches your face."

Arthur let Edwin go and Edwin found that his knees were a bit too weak to hold him up. He slid down the wall to the floor as Arthur took a step back. "I don't care what lies you have to peddle to my father. But If I do not hear that Addison is being summoned back by tomorrow morning I will be coming after you, torch in hand."

Arthur left it at that, slamming the door behind him. It took a while for Edwin to pull himself up off of the floor and to still his hammering heart. It didn't matter after all, by morning Edwin would be gone.

To say Uther felt guilty about sending Addison away was an over exaggeration. But he did feel maybe, the tiniest of slivers of guilt. He knew that Addison was a key to Arthur's moods, and having her sent away had left his son sulky, moody, and quite violent. But Arthur's tantrums were not enough for Uther to send someone to go and retrieve Addison.

No, he'd give Addison time to stew in the convent, he had paid a lot of money for her comfort there. He had also sent her with explicit orders that she were to be treated as a highborn Lady but she was to be schooled in proper manner befitting at least a servant. Uther would wait a month before summoning her back. It would be Arthur's punishment for thinking he could court someone beneath him.

What he felt most of his guilt about was the retirement of Gaius. When he had done it, he assumed that Gaius would stay in his quarters and Uther would continue to care for him and help his ease into his old age as a friend would, but Gaius had left Camelot all together. Uther felt like no only that he had lost his friend, but that he had driven him out of Camelot and that bothered him. He should have known Gaius would be too proud to stay.

He reached over to grab the new tonic Edwin had prescribed him. He didn't full trust Edwin, something about him unnerved Uther, but Uther assumed that was Edwin's disfigurement and that after a while Uther would get accustomed to it and stop feeling that way. He downed the tonic in one swig, proving to himself that he would not judge a book by its cover and hat he truly did believe that sending Gaius away was for the good of everyone under the Court Physician's care.

No sooner did he rest his head down did he realize that something was truly wrong. That tonic had hit him like… what was that phrase Addison was always using? A bag of stones? Yes it had hit him with a stunning weight, he could barely lift his head anymore, could barely keep his eyes open. Gaius's tonics had never done that to him.

His eyes closed, he drifted into a hazy sleep plagued with dreams. Memories he didn't want to remember. Of Addison telling him that she told him not to trust Edwin. Of his deceased wife calling him a boorish stubborn fool.

"My Lord?"

That jolted him out of his troubled rest. Uther moaned and struggled to open his eyes, using his stubbornness to get them open. Edwin's disfigured face hovered above him, if he wasn't so drowsy and out of it he might have cried out, but all Uther could do was stare at him.

Edwin put a hand to Uther's shoulder. "It looks like the drugs I gave you have taken hold," Edwin murmured. Drugs? Drugs?! Oh the impudence of this fool, when Uther got his faculties back Edwin was going to be sacked and Gaius was going to be dragged back to Camelot and reinstated as the Court Physician whether he wanted to or not.

"Your body is now paralyzed," Edwin told him. Uther closed his eyes. He was too tired for this. If he was paralyzed that meant he couldn't move so he was just going to go back to sleep and deal with all of this when he was better. "No, no, open your eyes, My Lord. I want my face to be the last face you ever see."

Now that got his attention. Uther managed to keep his eyes open, but only because he realized he was in danger. What the hell was this guy's problem? What had Uther ever done to him? He had given him a chance when no one else would, shown him hospitality more that someone with that level of disfigurement deserved and then gave him a job. Uther had been downright pleasant to him, this was an unwarranted attack. Maybe Edwin was an assassin.

"You took my childhood from me," Edwin said. Uther internally sighed. Well at least he was about to get an explanation. "And now finally, I take my parent's revenge."

His parents? But Uther didn't know Edwin's parents. Did he? Uther's eyes followed Edwin's hand, waiting to see what sort of weapon the man would pull. Instead he carefully placed a little black beetle on the pillow beside Uther's head. What the hell was a dead black beetle supposed to do to him?

"Within a few hours, the beetle will eat into your brain. And you will suffer, as they suffered," he snarled, his features twisting into a growl. Edwin moved away from the bed. Uther was starting to hyperventilate now. Wow, that was some sort of extreme. Addison would have called it Next Level. Uther never really understood that phrase but he had a feeling he would be using it right in this situation.

"And I long to hear you scream as they screamed the night you gave the order for the fires to be lit," Edwin told him. Oh, this was all starting to make sense now. "With your death magic will return to Camelot."

This was a child of someone he executed. Two someone's apparently. He always assumed that someone would try to come for him over that, but never a child. Though, he was a child then, he had had time to grow and had been warped by his need for vengeance. Edwin started chanting and the beetle finally began to move. Uther tried to will his body to move but he was drugged and that wasn't going to happen. Was this really how he was going to go? Why didn't he listen to Addison when she called this man a charlatan?

As the beetle crawled up his jaw and towards his ear, Edwin said good-bye. From what Uther had last seen, Edwin had been above him when the beetle finally reached his ear and Uther blacked out.

Edwin returned to his chambers. He had meant what he said to Uther. He wanted to hear and watch this man suffer as his parents did. He couldn't do that for two reasons. One Uther would be asleep through it all, just trapped in his own body unable to move or speak. And Two, Arthur was on a warpath, he would know Edwin was behind this. Granted, Arthur would probably assume that he did it because Uther would not relent on bringing Addison back, Arthur may even allow Edwin to get away with it as Arthur took this time to go and retrieve Addison himself. But Edwin didn't want to put his faith in Arthur being more stupid than Edwin already thought him to be.

The door shut behind him with a resolute click and then he went about packing away his most important of items. Things he could easily buy back would be left behind in his hasty departure.

"I will not allow you to kill Uther," the wizened old voice broke into the silence.

Edwin turned and found that Gaius had returned, and had let himself into his room. Edwin did not have time for this.

"You've never had a problem letting people die before," he shot back. It was true, Gaius had practically helped Uther kill all those other sorcerers, turning a blind eye to all the needless death was just as bad as doing it himself.

"Your parents were practicing dark magic, just like you," he reminded him. Oh touché. Good point. Yeah sure, so his magic wasn't as white or pure as most would like it, but what did Gaius expect? He had been raised with the soul desire to destroy Uther for what he had done.

"And how do you propose to stop me?" Edwin asked, more like taunted. There wasn't really much Gaius could do now.

Regardless the old man lifted his hand and shouted an incantation, except nothing happened. Edwin tried not to laugh. Gaius was severely out of practice. He shouted the correct incantation and Gaius flew back, his body hitting the stone of the column with great force.

"You've forgotten everything, Gaius, you're getting too old," Edwin taunted. It felt good to be the stronger one for once. "I have a cure though."

Edwin chanted a different spell and fire sprung from the floor, encircling Gaius and cornering him against the pillar. Everything was going so well. Gaius would die, Uther would be dead by morning, Edwin would get away scot-free and Magic could finally come back.

What Edwin didn't account for was Arthur going to visit his father, to see if he could persuade him to bring back Addison, to send Arthur to go get her so he could ensure her safety himself, only to find his father to have the same sickness Morgana had in the first place. He had tracked down Merlin telling him to go in search of Edwin which was why Merlin had burst into Edwin's quarters to find him attempting to barbeque Gaius.

"What are you doing?" Merlin asked, not quite wanting to believe that Addison had been right because that was starting to get freaky and a little bit annoying.

"He was trying to kill the king, I couldn't let him," Gaius called over the roar of the fire.

Edwin smiled at Merlin as if Merlin would understand, just because of the gift he had. "I can rule the kingdom now, with you by my side," Edwin told him. "We can be all powerful!"

Merlin scowled at him. "Release him!" he ordered.

Edwin smirked, he knew that Merlin was close to Gaius but he had hoped that the boy would see reason. "It's your loss, Merlin," he growled. Good thing Edwin had no attachment to the boy at all.

He used his magic to summon the hatchet off the wall, it was supposed to be a decoration but it was sharp and would do the job. He threw it at Merlin, but Merlin ducked it, freezing it before it could slice into him. He needed no words or incantation to use magic to send the hatchet flying back. Edwin did not realize that he didn't have the power to stop it until the hatchet had hit it's mark and by then it was much too late.

Edwin was dead.

It was lucky that Gaius knew what the beetle really were. It was lucky that Merlin knew that it was these Edwin had used to save Morgana. It was even luckier that, with no training before, Merlin could say the incantation and stop the beetle and therefore save Uther. Even luckier that Uther was just happy to see his old friend and even happier to be alive when he thought he had truly been done for.

So the following morning, Gaius was in his chambers as Uther sat in one of his more comfortable chairs feeling limp and worn out. Gaius handed him a tonic, for his strength, but his strength was not his problem.

"Do you remember them?" he asked suddenly. "His parents?"

A flash of pain passed through his friend's features and Uther knew the answer before Gaius even said it. "I remember them all sire," he replied.

Great, so it was horrible of him to have forgotten everyone. That the faces of those he had executed all blended into one.

There were silent a moment, "Gaius?" Uther asked, sounding timid. "Once again, you saved my life. You have always served me well. And I know that there are things I have asked you to do which you found difficult."

"You've always done what you believed was right," Gaius replied quickly. A rehearsed answer if Uther had ever heard one.

"I was not right to betray you," Uther said. There he admitted it. This was killing him inside but he had to say it. He owed Gaius as much. "I'm sorry."

Gaius bowed, graciously not saying anything about this admission of guilt. "From now on I will remember, that in the fight against magic, you are one person I can trust."

If he noticed Gaius's twinge he said nothing of it. An uncomfortable silence befell to the two old friends and Uther cleared his throat to dispel it before saying: "Do you know why he sought to send Addison away? Do you think it was planned or did he actually see Arthur and Addison together?"

Uther had been quick to realize that Edwin had wanted Gaius out of the way because it would get him closer to the King and because Gaius would most likely remember him. It followed reason that Edwin would want to get rid of Addison for a similar reason, but he couldn't think of what that could be.

"Addison was vehemently denying the existence of the only reason you were allowing him to stay. Standing up for me, arguing against him. He mostly likely believed that she had your ear, that she might influence your trust in him which he could not have wavering," Gaius replied.

Uther swore. "I suppose that I'll have to send someone to get her. I'll have a devil of a time keeping Arthur from going himself. I supposed I'll have to send someone and then tell him after," he mused softly.

He was answered by the door of his chambers being thrown open revealing a very dishevelled Addison. She rushed into the room crying his name and threw her arms around his neck.

"I missed you!" she cried.

She smelt of stale rushes and smoke, her dress was not one of her own but something clearly borrowed from a farm girl. She had mud splattered everywhere, her hair was matted and tangled and decorated with bits of the forest, and her hands were bandaged.

"What? But how did you…?"

"Oh! I set the place on fire and they kind of just ran off, so I came home… I mean back," she said. Uther stared at her surprised as she straightened to stare down at him. "For a place that was so damp the fire sure did go up quick. I didn't really think that it would. Anyway the Abbess called me a demon and said that there wasn't enough money in the kingdom to keep me and the place was completely hollowed out, which makes no sense cause it's mostly stone but yeah…"

She paused and looked around, she went to hug Gaius as Uther watched her. Of course she set fire to the convent, of course she had come back on her own. He wasn't even surprised just in awe at her determination. No wonder his son was fond of her, no wonder his son couldn't resist her, she was his match in every way.

"Where's this new Court Physician? Someone mentioned he was spreading lies about me which is why you sent me off. I'm going to beat his scrawny ass! Teach him not to gossip," she growled punching a fist into her own hand. Wow, poor Edwin. If he wasn't already dead he'd feel bad for him.

Uther opened his mouth but Addison waved him off. "I'll find him myself, he can't hide forever. I'm going to go tell Arthur I'm back, get myself cleaned and checked out… pretty sure I got some minor burns and festering splinters and then I'll let myself back into my cell," she said, already heading for the door. "I trust my stuff is still there?"

She didn't wait for his answer, merely waving to him and scampering out the door as fast as she had come in. The two men were silent until Uther whispered: "She can never know… I'll never hear the end of it."

And Gaius started laughing.

"Arthur!"

No, it couldn't be.

Arthur knew it couldn't be Addison's voice he was hearing. She was out at the seaside at that damp convent, probably catching her death as he waited for Gaius to be done with his father before he went in and demanded that he go get Addison himself.

He had already packed, his horse was ready, he had made Merlin pack too as Merlin would be coming with him, now all he needed was permission. He figured he'd get his duties done first, so he was going to do a quick patrol of his city before he kicked down the door to the throne room and demanded to be allowed to ride off to get Addison. He just clearly missed Addison so much that he was hearing her voice upon the wind.

"Arthur! Wait up!"

Okay, now that was getting weird. Despite the fact that he knew he was going crazy with the need to see her Arthur turned to where he was certain he heard the voice coming and saw Addison gingerly attempting to pick her way through the crowd to get to him. His eyes went wide and his mouth went dry.

He shot forward before, reaching her in moments. He lifted her up and spun her around, Addison shrieking and laughing, her hands resting on his shoulders. She looked like she had gone through hell and back but she was there, he could touch her, he could hug her. She had found her way back to him.

He set her down on her feet and hugged her tightly, so happy to be holding her again.

"I was coming to get you," he whispered into her hair.

Addison chuckled, her breath tickling the hairs on his neck sending shivers down his spine. "Well, you took too long, so I saved myself."

Arthur took a step back, his hands still on her shoulders but holding her at an arm's length so he could really see her. She was flushed, she needed a good wash, and it looked like she was injured. Now was not the time to kiss her but he so very much wanted to. Instead he forced himself to smile and tug her along back towards the castle.

"Come let's get you cleaned up and have Gaius look you over, then you can tell me all about the ordeal," he said.

He left out the part of how as soon as he got her alone there would be nothing she could do to stop him from covering her in kisses because he had a feeling she knew. And honesty all that mattered was that she was back.